US urges Pakistan to 'respect freedom of association and expression'
Pakistan
Formation of coalition government in any country is its own decision, he added
WASHINGTON (Dunya News) – The United States has once again called for a transparent investigation into alleged irregularities in Pakistan's general elections.
At Wednesday’s news briefing here, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the US does not want to comment on Pakistan’s internal affairs “before a government is formed.”
Formation of coalition government in any country is its own decision, he added.
He, however, reiterated the stance that there should be transparent investigation into claims of rigging in general elections.
Miller rejected claims of interference in the formation of a government in Pakistan, dismissing calls from US lawmakers and others to withhold recognition of the Feb 8 election results.
He stated this while replying to a question whether the prospective coalition set-up in Pakistan would be deemed representative.
“I don’t want to comment on the government before it is formed,” he said. “Ultimately, as is the case wherever you see coalition politics taking place in any given country, it’s a decision for that country itself. It’s not something we would weigh in on.”
The spokesperson also appealed to Pakistan to restore social media access when informed that people had no access to Twitter for three days.
“We are concerned by any report of restrictions on freedom of association and expression in Pakistan, including the partial or complete government-imposed shutdowns on social media platforms,” he said.
“We continue to call on Pakistan to respect freedom of expression and to restore access to any that has been restricted, including Twitter.”
He emphasised that in engagements with their Pakistani counterparts, US officials “have and will continue to emphasise the importance of respecting these fundamental freedoms.” The US concern on this issue, he said, has been communicated to Islamabad.
Last week, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stressed, “We consistently convey clearly, both publicly and privately, to the Pakistani government and across the Pakistani political spectrum the need to respect the will of the Pakistani people.”
